A Lieutenant's Pip: You're Late
by CrlkSeasons
Summary: The real story behind Tom's late arrival on the bridge. P/T, includes most of the regular characters from the series.


Three times Tom didn't celebrate his lieutenant's pip and one time that he did. This is the third story in the set, a change of pace from the first two.

 **A Lieutenant's Pip**

 **You're Late!**

Captain Kathryn Janeway reviewed her options. She put in countless late night hours to develop a workable strategy. Finally she was ready to set her plan in motion.

Now she waited. That was the fate of captains, to trust others to do the job and to wait.

Kathryn opened the small brown box that she'd brought from her quarters and picked up the single black pip that rested inside. It was a tiny thing, barely large enough cover the tip of her finger. Yet it held so much meaning.

The first time she'd presented this pip to Tom was in this ready room. She'd used a ruse to throw him off balance and coax a genuine smile from him. It was the first heart-felt smile she'd seen on his face since she'd pulled him out of Auckland. Sadly no one else was present to witness it.

Kathryn never regretted giving Tom a field commission and a place on her senior staff. He was a valued officer whose piloting skills significantly improved their chances of getting home. For years he performed above expectations, ably commanding Voyager in hostile Kazon territory and putting his life at risk to unmask the spy on the ship. His holoprogramming provided a common meeting ground that brought the crew closer together. He accepted a duty that attracted few volunteers. He earned the trust and respect of his crewmates.

Then came Monea. Kathryn had to take Tom's pip away and reduce him in rank to ensign. Even so, she'd kept the pip safe for him until the day came when he could make peace with the inner voices that drove him deep into the waters of Monea in pursuit of a cause.

The time had now come to restore the pip to its former owner, with all the privileges and responsibilities that the pip carried with it. Kathryn didn't want to settle for the stiffness of a formal ceremony any more than she'd wanted to face Tom's cynical façade when she presented the pip to him six years before. Her plan for today would break through any veneer of politeness - if the plan worked. Plans had an exasperating habit of finding every hidden bump in the road.

"Janeway to Mr. Neelix"

" _Neelix here."_

"Report."

" _I have sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres in the pantry. The cake and cookies are out of the oven and the decorations are in a cupboard, ready to go."_

"Won't Mr. Paris suspect something if he catches sight of your preparations?"

" _Not at all, Captain. Tom knows that I've been experimenting with a fresh approach to birthday celebrations. Besides, I put a spiced bread pudding in the oven to mask the other cooking smells. He won't suspect a thing."_

"Sounds like you have everything under control. Is Mr. Kim there with you?"

" _Not yet, Captain."_

"Very well. Keep me informed. Janeway out."

It was a good thing Kathryn had set contingency plans in place because her Plan A had just hit a snag on deck nine.

In her quarters several decks below, B'Elanna Torres peeked around the corner to check that the doors to the bathroom were safely closed before she commed the Captain.

"Torres to Janeway." B'Elanna whispered.

" _Go ahead, B'Elanna."_

"Tom has finished dressing."

" _So soon?"_

"I told you that this was going to be tricky. He has a very fine sense of how to make it to his shift on time."

" _Stall as long as you can. I'll let Harry know that he'll have to drag out his story of woe a little longer. Janeway out."_

B'Elanna barely managed to end the conversation before Tom came out of the bathroom. He missed the message, but caught the sign off.

"Working already? I thought you were the one who wanted a slow morning."

"I had to speak to the Captain about the glitch in the bridge console."

Tom frowned, trying to work through that puzzle. "Explain to me again why the Chief Engineer has to leave her other duties to look after a minor glitch in a bridge panel?"

"The Captain asked me. I don't know why. Besides, we're not on duty yet. We should be talking about other things." She adjusted Tom's collar and slid her arms around his neck.

Tom smiled lazily at her. B'Elanna was extra affectionate this morning. Not that he was complaining, he just wondered what was going on. A long kiss and Tom slowly removed B'Elanna's arms from his shoulders kissing the palm of each hand before letting go.

"What's the special occasion?"

"No occasion. I just thought I'd give you a nice send off."

"A man could get used to this kind of send off."

"Don't get too used to it. You know you like surprises."

"I love surprises. What do you have in mind?"

"You'll find out."

Tom was intrigued, but Harry was waiting in the mess hall. He sighed regretfully. "I really have to go."

This time B'Elanna let him leave so she could bring the Captain up to speed.

"Torres to Janeway."

" _Go ahead."_

"Tom's on his way to the mess hall. I did the best I could, but he was getting suspicious."

" _Very well, I'll inform Harry. Get up here as soon as you can. You don't want to miss out on the fun."_

In her ready room, Kathryn brushed her fingers over the black pip. Others might view the past year as a set back for Tom. She'd seen it as an opportunity to help him grow into a better officer. She'd had him review Starfleet protocol and all aspects of ship's operations. Some of his reports proved to be almost as entertaining as his holodeck programs. She now had a highly trained officer who could fill in if anything happened to Tuvok or Chakotay

There were many dangers in the Delta Quadrant. There was always the chance that the luck that held her most senior staff together might run put. The mere shadow of that possibility gave Kathryn a headache. She didn't need a headache today. Kathryn rechecked the ship's chronometer. Not much time left.

"Janeway to Kim."

" _Kim here."_

"Get ready, Harry. Tom's on his way."

" _I'm on it, Captain."_

All things considered, Harry was being a good sport. He'd earned a pip of his own, no doubt about it. The problem wasn't giving Harry a promotion. The problem was not giving one to ensigns like Samantha Wildman who'd served longer than Harry. It was making Joe Carey, who'd already been passed over for Chief Engineer, watch Harry catch up in rank while he stood still. It was not giving B'Elanna Torres, a senior officer and a department head, the same consideration. There was no way that Kathryn was going give her crew the impression that only wearers of Starfleet rank pips moved up the line.

Kathryn placed Tom's pip back in its box and prepared to make her morning appearance on the bridge.

Tuvok and Chakotay were already at their stations when Kathryn settled into her chair. She passed the box over to Chakotay and leaned closer to talk privately. "You're here bright and early."

Chakotay's eyes twinkled. "I got up extra early to practice my lines. I didn't want to have to resort to entering notes on a padd."

Kathryn laughed.

"The Doctor commed me again to ask to be present on the bridge this morning," Chakotay informed her.

Kathryn shook her head. "He doesn't give up. But it wouldn't work. The disadvantage of training Tom in ship's operations is that it's harder to come up with a plausible reason for a change in routine. B'Elanna and I had enough trouble inventing an excuse for her to be on the bridge today."

"The Doctor also asked to sing at the party."

"Tell me that you didn't agree."

"I didn't agree," Chakotay assured her.

In the mess hall one deck below, the mood was also light. Tom watched with amusement as Neelix began to deliver a detailed history of every item on the menu. Unfortunately for Neelix, Tom opted for coffee and peanut butter toast instead. If the pungent odor coming from the kitchen was dinner, he made a mental note to use his rations for that meal too.

The mess hall was full of breakfasting crewmembers. Tom exchanged greetings with several diners on his way to join Harry at one of the smaller tables. Tom munched happily on his toast while Harry explained why it was so important to speak to him before shift this morning.

Sifting through a tangled tale with no end in sight, Tom waved his arms in front of Harry to slow down the runaway train.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, Harry. So what you're telling me is that Billy Telfer wants to be more than friends with Tal Celes. How is that a problem?"

"He's asked for my advice on how to go about it."

"So advise him. You've had a lot of experience. You're not the green ensign you were when you first came on board."

"Come on, Tom. I may know a thing or two about running the ship. My love life hasn't exactly sparkled. Billy's a good guy. What should I tell him?"

"Maybe that you don't have any advice?"

"He thinks I'm a genius. I can't disillusion him."

Tom chuckled. "All right. Tell him that the person he should be talking to is Celes. Tell her that he values her friendship so much that he wonders if they could ever be more than friends."

"That's it?"

"That's it, Harry. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not they can still be friends."

"But, but …"

"Let's go, Harry. Our shift starts soon." Tom collected his dirty dishes for the recycler.

The mess hall crowd was thinning, however it was too early to let Tom leave for the bridge. Harry gestured for Neelix to take over.

Neelix hurried from behind his counter and intercepted Tom. "Leaving so soon? I haven't had a chance to get your opinion on the new schedule I'm working on for crew birthdays."

Harry took advantage of the opportunity to duck out. "See you on the bridge, Tom."

Tom nodded in Harry's general direction. This was going to make things close but he couldn't just leave.

"Can't it wait until my break, Neelix?"

"Well, no."

"Why not?"

"I've got so much to do today. Parson's birthday is tomorrow and I want to announce the changes at the party."

"You know the crew appreciates all that you do. I'm sure that whatever you decide will be fine."

"And," Neelix tugged at Tom's elbow to keep him from getting away, "I could also use your opinion on the new recipe I used for Parson's bread pudding. It's best sampled fresh from the oven."

Tom detected a new sharpness in the aroma coming from the kitchen. "I think your pudding is more than fresh."

"Oh no! It's burning!"

"You'd better take care of that right away. I'll catch up with you later."

Tom rushed out of the mess hall. If he hurried, he could make it to the bridge with minutes to spare.

Neelix could only watch helplessly from the kitchen. He commed Captain Janeway, "Neelix to the bridge"

" _Janeway here."_

"I'm sorry, Captain. I got sidetracked when my pudding burned. Tom's on his way to the bridge now."

" _Understood, Janeway out."_

Kathryn walked briskly back and forth across her bridge. This was a bad time to find out that she should have had a plan D. She threw up her hands and appealed for help. "Suggestions? Ideas?"

Figurative head scratching yielded nothing feasible. Tuvok made no secret of his disapproval of this use of the crew's time. "Captain, I see no sense in wasting more energy on this frivolous exercise."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Tuvok." Chakotay chided from his First Officer's chair.

Kathryn stepped up to Ops. "Harry, are there any life signs between Tom and the bridge, anyone we can use to detain him for a few more minutes?"

"Checking now, Captain." Harry's hands flew over the panel in front of him with laudable speed. "I've got someone, Captain! Seven of Nine is in the corridor near the turbolift."

"Good enough! Janeway to Seven Of Nine."

" _Seven here, Captain."_

"Do you see Mr. Paris?"

There was a pause. Kathryn imagined Seven efficiently scanning her immediate area.

" _I do not."_

"Excellent. Now listen, when Tom arrives I want you to engage him in conversation."

" _To what purpose?"_

"I just need you to stall him for ten minutes."

" _Very well."_

Seven had learned to adapt to a great deal on Voyager. She managed her astrometric duties with Borg efficiency. It was the nuances of human interaction that often puzzled her.

Ensign Paris had once required her services as a participant in his Captain Proton program. Her portrayal of Constance Goodheart seemed to her to be a pointless exercise. However she subsequently discovered that Ensign Paris was more accommodating when she requested additional time for consultation on navigational problems. Perhaps the Captain had a similar purpose in mind.

When Tom rounded the corner, Seven stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. "Ensign Paris, I require a moment of your time."

"What is it, Seven?"

"I wish to ask your advice about Lieutenant Torres." Seven had decided that this would be a suitable topic.

Tom's instinct for self-preservation kicked in. "Yes," he answered carefully.

"How would you suggest that I proceed in order to work more effectively with Lt. Torres?"

This could get tricky. For once Tom was happy that he was running late. "That's an admirable goal, Seven. I'll be happy to help in any way I can. But right now I'm going to be late for my shift on the bridge."

"I did not realize." Seven was surprised. She could not believe that it was the Captain's intention to cause a crewman to be late for duty. "I will … talk to you later."

"Sure thing." Tom jogged the rest of the way to the turbolift. He should just make it to his shift on time. If he were paranoid, he would think that someone was intentionally trying to make him late for duty. Tom reached around to check the back of his uniform. Nothing there. At least no one had pinned a 'kick me' sign on his back.

On the bridge, Kathryn Janeway was about to find out that her latest plan had also fallen short.

" _Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway."_

"Seven?"

" _I was unable to detain Mr. Paris. He was going to be late for duty."_

Kathryn swallowed her frustration. "That was the idea."

" _Captain?"_

"Never mind, Seven. Janeway out."

The Captain exchanged a look of long-suffering with B'Elanna.

Tuvok added more unwelcome news. "The turbolift that will convey Mr. Paris to the bridge is scheduled to arrive five seconds before the start of his shift."

Kathryn shook her head. "Then we're running out of time. People, I need options!"

"If I bypass the relay at junction eleven," Tuvok offered, "it will redirect the lift and slow its progress."

Kathryn stepped up to Tuvok's tactical station. "By how much?"

"I calculate twenty-seven seconds. Mr. Paris should arrive twenty-two seconds late."

"I'll take it. Stations!" Kathryn leaned over the console to whisper, "I thought you said that this activity was frivolous."

"Given Mr. Paris and Mr. Kim's diligence in planning a hazing when I received my promotion to lieutenant commander, I realized that I would be remiss if I did not put forth a similar effort for Mr. Paris."

"I see." Kathryn bit back her smile and returned to her chair. She had an advantage over her crew. She'd bitten back enough smiles at faux pas during official functions to be a master. She settled a serious expression on her face and sat back to wait.

Chakotay made a final check to make sure everything was in place and that the box that held Tom's lieutenant pip was sitting safely on Tom's chair. He nodded to Kathryn, then sprinted up to stand beside Tuvok near the turbolift doors.

The bridge crew hid their smiles by bending over their consoles. B'Elanna decided it would be best to keep her back to the action.

Tom was still readjusting the sleeve on his uniform when he stepped onto the bridge. He was greeted by the Captain's clearly un-amused voice.

"You're late, Mr. Paris."

"Ma'am?"

"According to the ship's chronometer, by twenty-two seconds." Tuvok informed him blithely.

"I'll make it up at the end of my shift." Tom was almost annoyed at this reception after all his efforts to make it to the bridge on time.

"See that you do." Chakotay's voice was suitably stern. Kathryn could tell that he was enjoying _this_ ruse immensely.

Tom glanced over at B'Elanna for some kind of clue. She shook her head. No help there.

Kathryn decided that she'd better move things along. "Take your station." Now she could relax and enjoy the show.

Chakotay escorted Tom to the helm, letting him discover the mystery box on his chair. "Open it, that's an order."

When Tom did open the box, Chakotay finally cracked a smile. "Not only late but improperly dressed. That belongs on your collar, Mr. Paris."

Kathryn's smile was even wider. "Allow me."

Kathryn took the pip and pinned it on Tom's collar. She watched his face light up with genuine pleasure. Tom never spoiled people's fun. He appreciated a joke as much when it was played on him as he did when the target was someone else. His enjoyment was contagious and drew others into the fun.

Kathryn couldn't be more pleased with the way her plan turned out. She overlooked the minor breach of protocol when Tom accepted B'Elanna's congratulations. Kathryn was about to comm Neelix to tell him to begin the festivities when an incoming signal interrupted the proceedings.

"Looks like a distress call," Chakotay commented.

Kathryn Janeway went into full captain mode. "Yellow alert!" She saw Tom take a deep breath. "Set a course," she instructed him. Voyager had faced more than its share of emergencies in the Delta Quadrant. Tom knew the drill. Kathryn didn't have to tell him that the party was now on hold.

 **Author's notes**

The last story in the set can be found among the M rated stories.


End file.
